After I composed myself, I realised that we had the rest of the day to fill in. I’m sure David would happily have gone back to the Hell-hole at Union House – so that he could lounge around with his zombie mates. But I was not going to cross swords again with that bitch-face “Gween” if I could possibly help it. “Hey, Dave! I’ve got a treat for you,” I exclaimed suddenly. “I’m going to take you to the movies.” I gave him no choice and firmly herded him out of Genevieve’s and into the Bug House. I had no idea if he still remembered what a movie was but I didn’t care. David was going to the movies whether he liked it or not. The shabby foyer of the Bug House was relatively untouched. There must have been no-one in it when the Apocalypse passed through. Did it happen at mid-day or thereabouts? No ‘session time’ then, I suppose – not during the week at a small single-screen suburban theatre. (Can you remember what one of those was?) I walked up the narrow staircase to the projection room. Now, you may think I would have no chance of getting the projector operating so that we would view a movie. But that’s where you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. This was in the days before video recorders, well before DVD’s, Blue-Ray and so on. So, schoolteachers needed to know how to operate simple movie projectors to show educational films to their classes. I was no teacher – but my dad was! Dad had done a proper Bell and Howell course and come out with a proper projectionist certificate – very pretty, very impressive. I asked him to bring the school projector home and show me how it worked. He obliged my demands and thus I knew the rudiments of the projectionist’s craft. That said, the projectors (there were 2) that confronted me in the projectionist room of the Carlton Movie House were very different to the one that Dad had brought home from school. A lot bigger. A lot more buttons and levers. I got one of them working in under half an hour (but I think I might have, sort of, broken the other one – sorry, Mr Projectionist).
Wosa my dhe omgalmynsi, my a dheuth konvedhes bos remenant an jydh bos lenwys. Sur en Davydh dhe vynnes dehweles dhe doll-ifarn yn-dann Chi an Kesunyans – may halla omdhiskwitha gans y vatys-zombi. Byttegyns, ny vynnen kledhya arta, an eyl dh’y gila, gans an fas-gast na, “Gwin” mars o possybyl dh’avoydya henna. “Hou, ‘Dhav! Yma dhymm neppyth arbennik ragos,” a griis vy a-dhistowgh. “Y fynnav dha gemmeres dhe’n fylmow.” Yn hwir, nyns esa dewis dhodho ha my herhdyes Davydh yn-mes Chi Gwynnuwer hag y’n Chideurek. Nyns esa dhymm tybyans vyth mar porthas ev kov hwath pyth o fylm mes ny vern. My a erviras Davydh dhe vones dhe’n fylmow mars o henna da ganso po nag o. Nyns o mar devys an sal-dynnargh usys y’n Chideurek. Possybyl o nag esa denvyth ynno pan dremensa an Gordhroglamm. A hwarsa ev hanterdydh po ogas? Nyns esa esedhek vyth ena y’n sinema, dell grysav – dhe’n lyha, nyns esa huni dy’gweythyow yn sinema byghan owth oberi gans skrin unnsel yn ranndra. (A yllowgh hwi perthi kov neppyth a’n par na?) My a yskynnas grisfordh ynn dhe’n sal-projektyans. Wel, y hallsewgh krysi nyns esa chons vyth a’m godhvos oberi an jynn-towlyans may hallen gweles fylm. Mes henn a via kammgemmeryans meur. Pur veur. Termyn o kyns bosva rekordyansow-gwydhyow, meur a dermyn kyns platennow rivennek po ‘Blue-Ray’ ha’n re erell. Ytho, yth esa edhomm dhe’n dhyskadoryon a wodhvos oberi an jynnow-towlyans sempel – rag diskwedhes fylmow adhyskansel dh’aga klassow. Nyns en dyskador heb mar – byttegyns, mab dyskador en vy! Ow thas re wrussa steus soedhogel “Bell ha Howell” rag gwaynya testskrif (pur deg ha splann) may eth ha bos towlyansyth ewn. My a wovynnas orto a dhri jynn-towlyans dhe-dre dhiworth an skol rag diskwedhes dhymm dell o oberys. Akordyes o hag, ytho, my a gonvedhi an kynsa traow a-dro dhe greft an towlyansyth. Kepar dell leveris, an jynnow-towlyansow (yth esa dew anedha) a sevis a- dheragov yn sal-towlyansyth an Chi Fylmow Karlton o poran dihaval dhe’n huni a dhegsa dhe-dre Tas dhiworth skol. Brassa yn feur. Meur a votonyow hag a golpesow. My a sewenas kul oberi onan yntredha wosa a-dro dhe hanter-our (mes, dell grysav, possybyl yw, wel, my dhe derri an huni arall – drog yw genev, a Vester Towlyansyth).langbot langbot